“God's Outreach Saving People Everywhere Lovingly! (G.O.S.P.E.L)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher
SCRIPTURE:
"The beginning of the
gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1, NIV)
OBSERVATION:
I asked myself what are the claims made
about Jesus?
1. The beginning of the gospel about
Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what does the
'The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus
Christ' mean?
The Gospel is all about Jesus and Mark 1:1 is introducing me to the
beginning of the Gospel where I will learn more about Jesus.
INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what is the Gospel?
For this, I did something I rarely do when I study the Scriptures
inductively. I decided to look at John 3:16 which is called
the Gospel in a nutshell by many. I realized
everything following Mark 1:1 will make that
much more sense to me when I reflect on John 3:16.
Let me share with you this Gospel in a
nutshell as shared and taught by Bill Jones and Terry Powell but
slightly revised by me. I thank Pastor Hugo of Pittsburgh Chinese
Church-Oakland for introducing this to me during my training time.
"For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, KJV)
Observations:
I asked myself what do we learn from
this most famous verse?
1. For God so loved the world
2. That He gave His only begotten Son
3. That whosoever believeth in Him
4. Should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
Interpretation:
I asked myself why this verse is so
famous?
The reason John 3:16 is so famous is because it summarizes the
Gospel about Jesus Christ in four spiritual truths. If you
understand these four spiritual truths, you will understand what the
Gospel in a nutshell is about.
Observation/Interpretation:
POINT 1:
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD
I asked myself what does
"For God so loved the world mean"?
Three things stood out: "God", "Loved", and "World"
GOD created the world and all that is in it including MAN to have a
personal relationship with Him. He wants this relationship to be one
of LOVE where GOD shows His LOVE to the people in this WORLD and
where the people show their love to Him by their obedience.
And yet we see that people of the WORLD do not always have a
personal relationship with GOD in obedience. If this is not
happening, there is always a reason. In this case it is a three
letter word called SIN. SIN is disobeying GOD or missing the mark.
When someone is offended, it causes problems in a relationship. In
this case, SIN causes a separation between GOD and MAN. This
separation can cause MAN to perish.
Sin can also be seen as 'Soul
Sickness' as Andrea and Jason Huang of Asian InterVarsity like to
describe sin. This Soul Sickness is very dangerous to our lives to
the point that even if we feel that we have been good 99% of the
time, that 1% of the time will put a stain on our soul to make us
sick. This sickness will eventually make us perish.
To put it in an analogy. Imagine someone
gave you a bottle of water that you thought was 100% pure and
distilled. That meant every drop in the bottle was supposed to be
pure. Later on you come to find out that only 99% of the drops were
pure water but the last 1% of the drop was pure cyanide.
Would you drink that water thinking to
yourself that it's ok only 1% of the bottle is filled with cyanide
and the rest of it is 99% pure water if you knew about it?
I don't know about you but I would not
touch that water if I knew someone laced the water with cyanide.
An example Andrea and Jason used was if
someone gave you a cup of milk that is 99% milk but then they spit
in it, would you still drink it if you knew about it?
I don't know about you, but I won't.
And yet when we think about soul sickness,
we expect God to accept us if we feel we are 99% good and only 1%
bad. The 99% goodness cannot erase that 1% of badness. God is a Holy
God and will not allow anyone with soul sickness to enter His
presence so they eventually will perish unless something happens.
So I decided to look at the phrase
"Should not perish"
POINT 4:
"SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE"
I asked myself "why is PERISH even
mentioned?"
What came to my mind is that MAN without having a relationship with
GOD, will PERISH. The Bible says that if MAN dies physically while
spiritually separated from GOD, MAN will spend eternity in a place
called HELL. That is the bad news because of soul sickness leading
man to HELL.
Then, I asked myself, "why is
ETERNAL LIFE mentioned?"
What came to my mind is, even though there is bad news, there is
also GOOD NEWS. The GOOD NEWS is that GOD does not want MAN to
perish and spend eternity in HELL. His desire is to have a personal
relationship with MAN so that MAN and GOD can live together in a
place called HEAVEN.
Now I know the BAD NEWS and I know the
GOOD NEWS but how can the GOOD NEWS become a reality?
It is then that POINT 2 came to my mind.
POINT 2:
"THAT HE [GOD] GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON"
The GOOD NEWS is GOD'S only BEGOTTEN SON.
Another word for GOOD NEWS is GOSPEL.
Another word for BEGOTTEN SON is JESUS CHRIST.
Mark 1:1 states, "The beginning of the
GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD."
I asked myself, how did GOD give His
only BEGOTTEN SON?
GOD sent JESUS CHRIST to the WORLD born of the Virgin Mary. JESUS
CHRIST'S life can be explored in detail in the Gospel of Mark,
Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, and Gospel of Luke and in the
entire Old Testament and New Testament.
I asked myself, "how did GOD tackle the
SIN [SOUL SICKNESS] problem?"
Again, the answer is JESUS CHRIST. GOD took care of the SIN problem
by sending His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST, who lived a perfect
life then died on the cross shedding His precious cleansing blood to
redeem humanity so MAN'S SIN could be forgiven. The amazing thing is
after JESUS was dead and buried, JESUS rose from the dead on the
third day to save, proving GOD has the power to save people from a
destiny of torment that soul sickness can cause without
intervention.
GOD did His part to show His LOVE for humanity and the WORLD by
sending His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST so that MAN should not
PERISH but have EVERLASTING LIFE.
I told myself that is great to know this GOOD
NEWS but knowing the GOOD NEWS is not enough if it is not put into
practice.
In this case, I asked myself "How can
the GOOD NEWS be put into practice?"
It is then that POINT 3 came to my mind.
POINT 3:
"THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM"
I asked myself what does MAN need to do
"not to PERISH" but have EVERLASTING LIFE with GOD?
1. It is not enough to simply know that GOD loves MAN.
2. It is not even enough to simply know that MAN's SIN will
ultimately send MAN to HELL because a LOVING GOD cannot have SIN
enter into His presence.
3. It is not even enough to simply know that
"the beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS
CHRIST, the SON OF GOD" or
"the beginning of the GOOD NEWS about JESUS
CHRIST, the SON OF GOD"
4. It is only when MAN BELIEVES in CHRIST to be MAN'S LORD & SAVIOR
that MAN does CROSS over the separation caused by MAN'S SIN and
begins a personal relationship with GOD. JESUS CHRIST becomes
the BRIDGE for MAN to reach GOD where the CROSS on which JESUS
CHRIST died became that BRIDGE to walk over to GOD.
JESUS CHRIST took away the SIN of the WORLD to those who accept His
sacrifice on the CROSS and BELIEVE. It was does by His precious
blood shed for you and me. Because they BELIEVE they have ETERNAL
LIFE.
IMPLICATIONS:
I ask you now dear friend, why bother
with the Gospel when you are enjoying life?Dear
friend, enjoying life whether it is through partying, drinking,
socializing, clubbing, etc will not take away the soul sickness that
you and I have without intervention. All our enjoyment is like that
99% of pure water laced with 1% of cyanide or 99% pure milk laced
with 1% of spit. You would not accept it because you know
something is wrong with both of those drinks. In the same way even
if we are enjoying in different ways, God will not accept us without
us being 100% pure. It can happen only 1 WAY.
You
have seen the four spirituals truths explained based on John 3:16.
You have seen the role of GOD, the role of MAN, the role of SIN
(Soul Sickness), and the role of JESUS CHRIST. All of the roles have
a part in imparting the Gospel about Jesus Christ to you. You need
to understand each role to really understand the GOSPEL or GOOD
NEWS. Once you have understood it, you have to act upon it so that
you have the opportunity to have EVERLASTING LIFE. This is exciting
to know!
Having EVERLASTING LIFE is not dependent on
you first but on God because GOD initiated the transaction. You have
to receive it! God is the banker and initiating a deposit into
your account not because of anything you can do on your own but
because of His loving grace. He wants you to accept the deposit of
Everlasting Life, He wants to give you. I was reminded of this by
the book 'Transforming Grace' that Pastor Ed went through with me.
It is dependent on GOD and His willingness to
send His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST to fulfill His role. GOD
has fulfilled His role for you and so has JESUS CHRIST fulfilled His
role. Now it is time for you to fulfill your role of MAN.
You can do that right now friend, whether you are a man or woman.
The promise of EVERLASTING LIFE is for you. It starts with BELIEVING
but it does not end there because once you BELIEVE, oh the
transformation you see in your life when Christ touches the hearts
of those who come to Him, will be real that others will notice too.
When you really believe in Jesus, you will
not remain the same person you were before knowing Jesus because
slowly you will see Christ transform the hearts of those who come to
Him by a process called SANCTIFICATION by His grace. This is His
work in your life through the power of the Holy Spirit. He will
change you from the inside out and others who knew you before you
were a Christian, will wonder that there is something really
different about you now that they notice compared to before. They
will notice a change in you unless what you have believed is a
prosperity gospel or counterfeit gospel. If you are not
changing immediately and know that you love Jesus deeply, don't get
discourage but keep depending on the Lord to change you. He loves
you as you are and will continue to work in your life.
When we come to know Jesus Christ as our
Lord and Personal Savior, life will be an enjoyment because His
desires will become our desires. When we go to parties, clubs,
drinking, etc we can enjoy them but also know what line not to
cross. Even there, Christ will be on our minds because He is part of
us.
In essence, we let Christ direct all
of our lives and we will have a desire to spend a lot of time where
our non-Christian friends are so we can help them experience the
love of Christ. Knowing Christ and believing Him will make us want
to let others experience what we have when we truly have given our
lives to Christ.
You will then come to understand
"the beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS
CHRIST, the SON OF GOD," has so much to
it.
You will be so excited and you need to look no
further than the GOSPEL to KNOW about the ONE you BELIEVE in. The
GOSPEL in a nutshell is JOHN 3:16 but the GOSPEL in its entirety is
revealed by GOD from GENESIS to REVELATION through inspiration. It
is all about JESUS CHRIST and you will realize it has to do with HIS
TRANSFORMING GRACE SANCTIFYING US DAILY BY HIS GRACE.
Friend, do you know anything keeping
you from placing your faith in CHRIST and crossing over to GOD right
now?
Is it feeling like you do not have it
together to come to Jesus?
Is it feeling that Jesus will never accept a person like you?
Is it feeling there are things in your life you have to first change
before you come to Jesus?
Whatever the reasons and question you have, if
you are feeling those things, then that is great. You are ready to
give your soul sickness to Jesus. Jesus saves you by His
transforming grace so it is great news when you feel you are
unworthy to come to Jesus Christ for none of us are worthy to come
to Christ and yet Christ has chosen us by what He accomplished on
the Cross at Calvary. He did that because He loves you as you are.
In Christ alone can we find our true worth! He will answer your
doubts in His timing because He is the
Way, the Truth, and the Life.
None of us on our own are worthy or can ever
be worthy! If we were worthy to come to Christ then there
would be no reason for Jesus to have told the Pharisees,
"it is the sick that need the doctor, I have
not come for the healthy but the sick."
Do you know why Jesus said that?
It is because people of that day were upset
that Jesus was hanging out with those they considered scum such as
prostitutes, corrupt tax collectors, lepers, unclean people, etc.
But Jesus' purpose all along has been to reach the lost, to come to
save the lost.
So, when Jesus hung out with them and came
to save them, can He not be willing to save you friend if you feel
unworthy?
In other words, Jesus is making a point that
those who think they are righteous cannot experience His grace
because He has come for those who are unworthy.
An important implication in all this is if
we are followers of Jesus Christ and have no non-Christian friends
then we have to ask ourselves, why am I not reaching those that
Jesus came to reach?
If you are in a fellowship or church that just caters to Christians
to build them up but there is no outreach for those that do not know
Jesus then there is a problem. Jesus was all about outreach.
If Jesus were walking the earth today, I feel
Jesus would inhabit the clubs, the bars, etc to reach the lost. That
is the heart of God and when Christ transforms us, His heart will
impact our heart because it is His Spirit that works in us. That is
so exciting to know!
Honestly, friend all of us are unworthy to
come before GOD because of our SIN. But GOD in His LOVE for MAN,
sent JESUS CHRIST for us to die for our sin and He came back to life
to save us.
This is exciting to know and believe friend! I am excited that Jesus
accepts me as I am to come to Him and He will take care of the rest.
Come to God as you are and receive what He offers to you through
Jesus Christ. If you want to do that, you can pray the prayer below
believing in your heart, for if you just say the words without
belief then they are just words.
You have a golden opportunity to start this FALL of 2010 with the
Lord Jesus on your side no matter what happened before. Let me
assure you, the transformation you will see in your own life. When
Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him genuinely, there
life will never be the same again, never be the same again. You will
have a totally new perspective on life as you spend daily time with
Him praying, reading & studying the Bible meditating on its
precepts, and being plugged into a Bible believing fellowship of
believers. Even as you face the storms of life, the winds cannot
shake you for you will have a firm foundation on Jesus Christ, the
Rock of Ages!
Even in your sufferings and pain, He will
strengthen you as He has our own family when our beloved dad and my
mom's beloved husband of 37 years passed away before Christmas of
2007. My mom and our family reflected that this August 9th would
have been their 40th marriage anniversary.
Friend, if you would like to invite Jesus
Christ to come and dwell in your heart and make Him a daily part of
your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You
can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come
true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now
as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart and
believing. Yes, you can!
"God's Outreach Saving People Everywhere
Lovingly!" (G.O.S.P.E.L)/"Why bother with the G.O.S.P.E.L when you
are enjoying life?"
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I am so excited that I learned today the beginning of
the Gospel about you. I also learned the Gospel is the Good News. I
also learned the famous verse from John 3:16 that you shared with
Nicodemus. Jesus, this verse shows how I can have Everlasting Life
too. I want that life Jesus. So I come to you right now as I am and
seek you with my whole heart believing in what you did for me. I
believe that Father God sent you to earth for us, to die for our sin
on a rugged cross where your blood was shed to save us! Then you
came back to life and now sit at the right hand of the Father.
I believe Jesus that my sin separated me
from God and you became the bridge for me to cross over to God
because of what you did on the cross for me. Thank you so much
Jesus. Even when my sin made me so dirty on the inside and attacks
of Satan have wounded me, you did not abandon me but came for me. I
am never out of your love and never out of your reach. Thank you so
much Jesus.
I do believe Father God for all that Jesus
did for me. Jesus, I know you care for me and laid down your life
for me on the cross to give me new life as you shed your blood for
me to wash away all my sins. Your Blood became the transfusion for
those of us wounded by Satan. I accept the transfusion! Your blood
heals all the wounded areas to give us a new life cleansing us of
our sin. Thank you so much Jesus.
I want that new life that you offer so I
turn to you now as a sheep that has gone astray and ask for your
forgiveness of all my sins! I am unworthy but you love me as I am.
Wash me in your precious cleansing blood. Thank you for washing me
in your Blood.
Please come dwell in my heart and save me
Jesus. Deliver me Oh Good Shepherd! Thank you for your free gift of
grace! I know you can save me when I turn to you and ask you to be
my Lord and Personal Savior. I want you to stay with me Jesus in my
heart and make my heart your home so I can always have you as my
Lord and Personal Savior who will guide my path. Please fill me
with the Holy Spirit and lead me in the right paths when I go the
wrong way so I can be led to green pastures. I love you Jesus! Thank
you for making my heart your home, for living in me Jesus and I will
live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life.
I acknowledge you Jesus as my Lord and
Personal Savior believing in my heart and that God raised you from
the dead. Thank you for being the Lamb of God. Thank you for being
my Lord and Personal Savior and changing me. Thank you for filling
me with the Holy Spirit and I believe you who began a good work in
me will finish it to completion. I give myself to you, all that I am
and ask you to make something of my life. Thank you Jesus so much.
Thank you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help!
As a professional, it is not too late to join a church! As a student,
it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this FALL of 2010! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Friend, if you have prayed this
prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and
all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may
feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your
new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave
you nor forsake you! Amen!
Spend time in His word and let the Lord
speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out
the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.
Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church
fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be
part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the
Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in
Bible LIVE Eternally!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com
if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-641-9426
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
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2010 DEVOTIONALS:
“A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E
is Adapting Caring Character Everyday Pointing Towards A Nurturing
Compassionate Emmanuel!”
(July
14, 10, 10:24 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
“F.R.I.E.N.D.S are Forever Readily Imparting
Encouragement Now Dealing Sacrificially!”
(July 07. 10, 1:22 p.m.) By Ramesh C.
Reddy
“C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y is Capturing A Person's
Truth Imposing Vicious Ideas That Yammer!”
(Tue, July 06, 10, 4:39 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
“I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.C.E is 'Immanuel's
Nurture Delivering Every Person Experiencing Now Deadly Evil,
Nullifying Captivity Everywhere!”
(Sun, July 04, 10, 8:13 p.m.) By Ramesh
C. Reddy
“F.R.E.E.D.O.M is 'Forever Redeemer's
Emancipation Everyday Delivering Omnipotent Message!”
(Sat,, July 03, 10, 8:57 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
“P.A.S.T is People's Anxious Surrendered Torment!"(Thurs,
July 01, 10, 5:03 a.m.) By Ramesh C.
Reddy
"What do you do with your L.I.F.E to receive
Eternal Life?"
(June 15, 10, 6:55 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"What is M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L Day to you?"
(May 31, 10, 7:21 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"Which commandment does your W.I.L.L break
easily?"
(May 26, 10, 6:23 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"Why cannot you be G.O.O.D in life?"
(May 24, 10, 7:00 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"What do you do when you T.H.I.N.K about
Jesus?"
(May 21, 10, 7:51 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"Whose life do you get I.N.V.O.L.V.E.D in?"
(May 20, 10, 7:13 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"What is the point of being a C.H.I.L.D?"
(May 08, 10, 8:51 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:13-16:
"Whose T.E.R.M.S do you follow in life?" (May 07, 10, 7:21 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:13-16:
"What H.I.N.D.E.R.S you from coming to Jesus?"
(May 04, 10, 8:23 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:13-16:
"What does who do you V.A.L.U.E. in life tell
about you?"
(Mon, April 05, 10, 9:54 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?"
(Sat, April 03, 10, 11:49 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
John 12:
"Will you be the offspring of the S.E.E.D
cultivated?"
(Mon, March 29, 10, 10:09 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
John 12:3:
"What costly S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E will you make
for Jesus remembering His stinky/dirty feet?" (Sat, March
27, 10,
11:06 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy
Proverbs 23:
"What has A.L.C.O.H.O.L done to
you in life?"
(March 20, 10,
9:17 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:
"What do you do with an
I.N.T.E.R.R.U.P.T.I.O.N in life?"
(March 13, 10,
11:40 p.m.)
Mark 10:13:
"Why S.H.A.R.E Jesus with others in life?"
(March 09, 10, 4:59 a.m)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:13:
"Why B.R.I.N.G Doggy Poo to Jesus?"
(March 08, 10, 9:01 a.m)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:
"When have you become an A.D.U.L.T.E.R.E.R in
life and what now?"
(Feb 24, 10,
9:31 a.m.)
By Ramesh C.
Reddy
Mark 10:
"Why D.I.V.O.R.C.E the one you marry in life?"
(Feb
22, 10, 12:15 p.m.)
By Ramesh C.
Reddy
Mark 10:
"What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D
in your life?"
(Feb
20, 10, 10:08 a.m.)
By Ramesh C.
Reddy
1 Corinthians 13:
"How will you be someone's V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E
using 16?"
(Feb 13, 10, 12:16 p.m.)
By
Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 10:
"Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to
and why?"
(Feb 05, 10, 9:43 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 9:
"How can you be a S.A.L.T in someone's life
today?"
(Feb 04, 10, 11:27 a.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 9:
"What do you help your friends E.S.C.A.P.E
from?"
(Feb 03, 10, 12:30 p.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 9:
"Why bother with H.E.L.L in life?"
(Feb 02, 10, 2:39 p.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Mark 9:
"When are you planning to cut your hand, foot,
or eye to escape Hell?""
(Feb 01, 10, 1:41 p.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark
9: "Why
heed Jesus' W.A.R.N.I.N.G in your life?"
(Jan 30, 10, 12:41 p.m.)
By Ramesh C. Reddy
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